Oregon Challenged By USC For 4-Star Mater Dei Recruit

The Oregon Ducks are in a recruiting battle with the USC Trojans for class of 2027 recruit, cornerback Danny Lang. Lang had been trending towards Oregon, but the Southern California native paid another visit to USC recently, per Rivals, which could signal him staying in the Los Angeles area.

Danny Lang Visits USC

Oregon Ducks Recruiting Danny Lang Four-Star Cornerback Recruit USC Trojans Visit Spring Commitment USC Trojans Class of 2027 — Nov 11, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley, left, and Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning talk before a game at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The commitment date for cornerback Danny Lang is rapidly approaching. Lang initially set his commitment date for over the summer, but now he will decide around March 21, per Adam Gorney of Rivals. According to Gorney, Lang has been at multiple USC spring practices over the past week, meeting different USC staff members including defensive coordinator Gary Patterson in the process.

Just a few weeks ago, it appeared Oregon had the upper hand. This is what Lang said back then to Chad Simmons of Rivals.

“Oregon is on top for me,” Lang said. “There is a lot to like about Oregon. Every time I am in Eugene, it feels like home. Every time I am there, it feels more like home.”

While that in itself isn’t a tell of where Lang's head is at, It will still be an interesting next week or so to see if the four-star recruit will commit to staying at home or commit to the move up to the Pacific Northwest.

Lang announced his 10 finalist schools are: Oregon, USC, Miami, Ohio State, North Carolina, Michigan, Washington, Auburn, Georgia and Alabama.

Danny Lang Player Profile

Danny Lang is a 5-11, 160 pound cornerback out of Santa Ana, California, which is just about 30 miles outside the heart of Los Angeles. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 7 cornerback in the class of 2027 per 247Sports.

As a junior for Mater Dei High School during the 2025-26 season, Lang had 31 total tackles, 10 passes defended, one fumble recovery, and one tackle for loss. The Ducks offered Lang back in June of 2024.

Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans' Recruiting Battle

Oregon has been recruiting at a high level for quite some time, especially under coach Dan Lanning. According to On3, each of Oregon’s last three incoming recruiting classes ranked top four in the entire country.

USC was lacking in that department until this past recruiting cycle in 2026. The Trojans landed the No. 1 recruiting class in 2026 following a 2025 and 2024 class that failed to rank in the top 10. Oregon had dominated recruiting in the Southern California area during thus time, but USC is working towards putting an end to that.

USC and Oregon have a rivalry that could be in the process of getting to another level with the Trojans starting to put the pieces in place to become a threat again nationally. These two teams have been duking it out against one another on the field and off the field in recruiting for decades dating back to when they were in the Pac-10.

They will face off against each other this upcoming season on Saturday, Sept. 26 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.